A 30-year-old man from Surrey was yesterday sentenced to 12-months in prison after admitting to kidnapping a 14-year-old girl from Swindon in 2015.
Rodney Hart from Woodcote Side, Epsom, Surrey, pleaded guilty to child abduction offences.
The charge relates to Hart taking the teenage girl away from her Swindon home on eleven separate occasions between August 2015 and November 2015.
Det Con Erica Hegg, who lead this investigation, said: “I welcome today’s sentencing as it sends a strong message that crimes like this won’t be tolerated.
“Hart’s manipulative behaviour resulted in this young girl being coerced from her home on numerous occasions so that he could satisfy his warped desires.
“I want to thank the young victim, who was vulnerable, for having the courage to come forward in the first place – her brave first steps in this case have helped jail a man who was a danger to teenage girls.
“Hart never once showed remorse for his actions; actions his victim will have to live with.
“However, I hope today’s result will give her some closure so she can start living her young life again and hopefully can put this behind her.
“I want to take this opportunity to ask anyone who feels they may have been a victim of abuse – in whatever form – to come forward and report it to the police.
“We will take you seriously and you will be supported by professional, trained staff every step of the way so we can to bring offenders like Hart to justice. ”
Please contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Victims can also seek support and counselling from the Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) based at the New Swindon Sanctuary – they can be contacted on the 24-hour helpline 0808 168 0024.
